In recent decades, a number of proposals for supporting the face of a passage in a geological structure, such as the roof in an underground mine, have been made. The typical arrangement employs an anchor, such as an elongated roof “bolt,” that extends into a borehole formed in the face. Federal regulations pertaining to underground mine safety require the placement of these bolts at frequent intervals throughout the mine passage. Consequently, ease of manufacture and use are critical factors in terms of reducing the overall installation cost to the mine owner (which directly correlates to the profitability of the mining operation).
Of course, one of the major areas for lowering the manufacturing cost and installation time for such bolts involves reducing the diversity, complexity, and overall number of the parts required. This includes eliminating the need for specialized expansion shells, external nuts, or other attachments to the bolt required in the past to effect proper tensioning. Extensive processing of the bolt shaft typically necessary for accommodating these types of expansion shells or external nuts should also be eliminated, since this activity not only increases manufacturing time and expense, but also tends to weaken the bolt and the resulting assembly.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved bolting apparatus that overcomes the foregoing limitations of the prior art. Specifically, the bolt should be easy and inexpensive to manufacture and install. The bolt would be also be tensionable to compress and provide secure, reliable support for the adjacent strata once installed.